6 urban districts recognized for AP performance

ATLANTA 
The 50 students haven't even started ninth grade yet, but they're gathered this summer at a high school for a special program on statistics, language and social awareness taught by teachers who specialize in Advanced Placement classes.

The "Come West 9" program at Westlake High School is part of a broad effort within the Fulton County Schools system, one of six urban school districts recently recognized by a national education group for boosting participation and performance among black students on AP exams, which students can take for college credit while still in high school.

The goal at the metro Atlanta program is to reach not just gifted students but those who think of college as a destination, not a dream.

"I tell my students, `You are not coming into this program to fail. You are not coming into this program to not go to college,'" said teacher Chantrise Sims-Holliman, who coordinates the program. "We do not want mom and dad to have to pay for college. We want college to pay for you."

On a recent day, one group of students debated an essay on why people lie. Another group analyzed census data on poverty and race. A major emphasis is placed on AP courses, and nearly every student in the program has signed up for AP Human Geography as freshman in the fall.

The Broad Foundation's recent report found that the gap in participation and passing rates on AP exams between white and black students remains significant. Of the 75 urban districts analyzed in the report, only the six recognized were improving AP passing rates for black students quickly enough to narrow the achievement gap with white students while increasing or keeping participating levels steady. The districts in the report represent 32 states and the District of Columbia.

In most districts, the report found, access to and participation in AP exams have gone up, but passing rates have gone down. Cited throughout the report is the benefit of reaching children early. At Westlake High, where 98 percent of the student body is black and 58 percent come from low-income families, that's the driving force behind "Come West 9" and a sister program called "Come West 8," which involves busing in a group of 80 eighth-graders daily during the school year for a half-day of high school-level courses.

"We're reaching all the way down to middle school to identify the kids who are motivated and bring them up," Westlake principal Grant Rivera said. "We can't wait until they are in AP Biology as a junior to prepare them for the rigor of AP. We're prepping them as eighth-graders."

Across the country, remediation in college costs billions of dollars, according to the Broad Foundation report, with students who need remedial courses less likely to end up with degrees.

In recent years, access to AP courses has increased considerably, no longer limited to those with top grades and teacher recommendations. But as participation has expanded, racial and economic disparities have persisted. Nationally, black students accounted for 14.5 percent of high school graduates, but just 9.2 percent of those taking AP exams and 4.4 percent of those scoring three or higher, according to an annual report by The College Board, which administers AP exams in subjects ranging from U.S. history to English language and composition.